Gleason: Young runners turn Classic into kids' day

Monday

Jun 3, 2013 at 2:00 AM

MIDDLETOWN — The 1972 Olympic marathon gold medalist noticed a large number of girls and boys stepping to the starting line of The Classic's Rowley 5K on Sunday. Frank Shorter has seen an awful lot across 60 years of running. He can't remember having seen this.

KEVIN GLEASON

MIDDLETOWN — The 1972 Olympic marathon gold medalist noticed a large number of girls and boys stepping to the starting line of The Classic's Rowley 5K on Sunday. Frank Shorter has seen an awful lot across 60 years of running. He can't remember having seen this.

"I'm telling you,'' he said after the gun went off, "this is new.''

He was talking about all the kids running the 3.1-miler through Middletown streets. Not just teens, but 9-, 10-, 11-, 12-year-olds. Little kids choosing long-distance running over video-room reclining. Long-term fulfillment over instant gratification. Shorter shook his head.

"Fifteen years ago, if someone had said little kids are going to be doing this, you would say, 'What?' ''

It was a sight to appreciate, The Classic's future helping spur the present. So much for neatly stereotyping our children as Xbox hermits. There used to be a sprinkling of pre-teens in the 5K. Sunday's race had 127 of them, 20 percent of the field.

"Doing a 5K is a normal thing,'' said Shorter, who grew up in Middletown. "And it's not intimidating.''

Kids sent The Classic to another level on Sunday. They helped make up a whopping 633 finishers in the 5K, 270 more than the previous high since the 3.1-miler began in 2006. The generation helped The Classic witness a record 1,395 finishers despite just 756 crossing the line in the 10K, second fewest ever.

The 5K used to be a neat sidelight to The Classic. It is fast becoming the race to enter.

This is where an organization called "Girls on the Run'' enters the picture. Never heard of them? Me either, until Sunday, when 100 of its girls ages 8-13 brightened the race in so many ways. They wore pink T-shirts and sticker tattoos and cute color-coordinated ribbons in their hair. Mostly, they wore smiles of accomplishment.

The nonprofit program, for girls in grades three through eight, is an independent council of Girls on the Run International that service more than 200 locations across the U.S. and Canada. Kim Quimby helped start the Hudson Valley chapter last fall that encompasses Orange and Dutchess counties. They have formed groups in a few towns and would love to branch into other municipalities. Eight teams make up the chapter, with two coaches per team meeting twice a week.

"It teaches empowerment skills,'' Quimby said. "The girls interact, they form very close bonds. It's all about making it fun. We are not competitive.''

Maybe that's the key. In the dog-eat-dog era of youth sports, Girls on the Run focuses on having fun through participation. Lord knows we have enough kid sports overseen by overzealous parents and coaches focused on winning. Girls on the Run proves how many kids learn to love a relatively grueling activity without the pressures of winning games and trophies. Quimby got things started with 20 girls last fall. That number shot up to 100 this spring.

"They came here today and they were in awe,'' said Julie Gillis-Bengyak, a GOTR coach. She watched their eyes bulge looking at Middletown High's gorgeous track where they would finish after passing the huge Jumbotron. "Most of these girls have never been at a road race before.''

The organization doesn't just provide young girls a sense of fulfillment and perspective and conditioning as they approach the awkward teen years. It gets their moms running with them, another demographic that might have never considered running a road race.

I saw a lot of smiling girls and moms on Sunday. I didn't see any mothers screaming at their kids or blaming the coach for any number of reasons.